Sheet metal pallet construction



Dec. 29, 1942 E. w. RIEMENSCHNERDER ETAL 2,306

vSHEET METAL PALLET CONSTRUCTION Filed March 2, 1940A Patented Dec. 29,1942 SHEET METAL PALLET CONSTRUCTION' Edmund W. Riemenschneider, Canton,and Sidney Marquis, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignors to The UnionMetal Manufacturing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication March 2, 1940, Serial No. 321,994 E 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-120)The invention relates generally to 'material handling platforms for usewith fork lift trucks,

and more particularly to pallets having top andv bottom deck members andconstructed entirely of metal of thin section.

Pallets constructed of wood have commonly been used, but wooden palletsmust be made of heavy members inforder to posses the required strengthfor supporting and transporting heavy loads. Consequently, such palletsare very heavy and cumbersome to handle. Moreover, woodenpalletsysplinter or crush easily when subjected to shocks or impacts,and accordingly have a short life. l

It has been proposed to construct pallets having metal side members andwooden deck members, but the deck members thereof are easily splinteredor crushed in use, and the attachment of the deck members to the metalside members requires additional time and expense, and tends to weakenthe wooden deck members at the points where they are attached.

Prior pallets have been constructed with thin metal side members anddeck members, but such pallets of which we are aware have been lackingin suiiicient compression strength in the side members, and also 4theattachment of the deck members to the side members has required aconsiderable amount of bolting, riveting or Welding in order that thepallet be strong enough to resist lateral shocks or impacts withouttwisting or warping and without loosening the deck mem bers from theside members.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a noveland improved pallet constructed entirely of metal in such a way as togive maximum strength with minimum weight.

Another object is to provide a novel reinforced sheet metal pallet whichis easy and inexpensive.

to manufacture. A further-object is to provide an improved al metalpallethaving reinforced sheet metal side members and deck members soconstructed and arranged as to enable their assembly with a minimum oftime and labor.

A still further object is to provide an improved all metal pallet whichcombines lightness in corrugated transversely throughout their lengthand sheet metal top and bottom deck members preferably corrugatedlongitudinally so as to match the side member corrugations, whereby thedeck members interet and interlock 'with the side members.

Throughout the specification, the term sheet metal is used to describemetal of thin section which may be in the form of sheets, strips,stripsheets, plates and the like, which maybe formed in various shapessuch as angles, channels and corrugated or ribbed structures.

In the accompanying drawing, -a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is shown by weight with increased com-pression strength andlateral rigidity.

These and other objects which will be apparent from the followingdescription and accomplished by the improved parts, structures, andarrangements constituting the present invention, which maybe statedf ingeneral terms as including sheet metal side channel members preferablymembers;

yway of example, without intending to limit the invention to details ofconstruction and arrangement beyond the scope defined in the appendedclaims.

In the drawing forming part hereof,

Figure 1 is a, plan view of a preferred embodiment of the presentimproved pallet having a central channel supporting member;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, parts being broken away to show thesupporting channel Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, as on line 4 4, Fig.1, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view as on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views ofthe drawing.

The preferred embodiment of the present improved pallet shown in thedrawing preferably includes laterally spaced longitudinally extendingside supporting members 6, and a central supporting member 1 extendinglongitudinally of the pallet and spaced preferably midway between theside supporting members 6.

The supporting members 6 and 1 are all pref erably channel shaped incross section as shown and formed from sheet metal 'to have a pluralityof closely spaced corrugations 8 preferably extending transverselyentirely around the channel and through the top and bottom legs 9thereof. Thus the supporting members 6 and 1, due to their channel shapeand closely spaced `transverse corrugations, have a great amount ofrigidity and strength, especially in supporting heavy compression loads.

The top and bottom deck members I0 extend laterally of the pallet andhave their ends spported on the top and bottom legs 9 of the side 8 ofthe central supporting member 7. Preferably, the top and bottom legs 9of the side supporting members 6 are directed inwardly of the pallet, sothat the ends of the deck members cover the inner edges vof the sidesupporting members but terminate short of the outer surfaces thereofwhen the deck members are supported thereon. a

As shown, the deck members I are preferably formed from sheet metalstrips of thin section wand have longitudinal corrugations or grooves IIextending throughout their lengths between their side edges, andlongitudinal hal! corrugations I2 at their side edges.' The corrugationsI I and I2 of the deck members I0 are formed so as to t into andinterlock with the transverse corrugations or grooves 8 in thesupporting members 6 andl 1, so that when the deck members are placed onthe supporting members, the ends of the deck members II) can be quicklyspot welded at I3 inthe corrugations II and I2 to the corrugations 8 ofthe side members, and the deck members can be rigidly spot welded at I4intermediate their ends in the corrugations II and I2 to th'ecorrugations of the` bers so that the pallet has great rigidity inreceiving lateral shocks, and the deck members in particular resisttwisting and horizontal shocks longitudinally of the supporting members,because the deck members are interlocked with the supporting members.

'I'he number and spacing of the deck members I0 can be varied asdesired, and the half corrugations I2 at the side edges of the deckmembers provide for placing longitudinally adjacent deck members inabutting relation with each other, if desirable or necessary.

The improved pallet is extremely light in weight and has a highcompression strength and great rigidity in all directions.

Due to the fact that the corrugations of deck members lnteriit andinterlock with those of the supporting members, the pallet can bequickly assembled by spot welding in the corrugations,

and when assembled the pallet has very high resistance to lateral orhorizontal shocks and to twisting. Y

We claim:

1. An all metal pallet having longitudinally extending side members andlaterally extending top and bottom deck members having their endssupported on said side members, said side members being channel shapedin cross section with inwardly directed legs and having transversecorrugations extending around the channels into and throughout the legs,and said deck members having corrugations extending laterally of thepallet and interlocking with and secured to the corrugations in the legsof said'side members, said side member corrugations and said deck membercorrugations forming continuous corrugations extending entirely aroundthe pallet.

2. An all metal pallet having laterally spaced longitudinally extendingsheet metal supporting members and laterally extending top and bottomsheet metal deck members, said supporting members being channel shapedin cross section with inwardly directed legs and having closely spacedcorrugations extending transversely entirely around the same, and saiddeck members having corrugations extending laterally of the pallet andinteriltting .with and secured to the corrugations in the channel shapedsupporting members, saiddeck members terminating short of the outerfaces of said supporting member.

3. An all metal pallet having laterally spaced longitudinally extendingsheet metal supporting members and laterally extending top and bottomsheet; metal deck members supported thereon, said supporting membersbeing channel' shaped in cross section with top and bottom legs andhaving corrugations extending transversely entirely around the same andthrough said legs, said top and bottom deck members having corrugationsextending throughout their widths laterally of the pallet, the end ofsaid deck members intertting with the corrugations on the top and bottomlegs of said channel supporting memand being welded thereto to interlockthere- EDMUND W. RIEMENSCHNEIDER. SIDNEY MARQUIS.

